Zimbabwe

Since the first preliminary results of Zimbabwe’s 31 July 2013 harmonised elections emerged, most talk has been about whether or not the elections were free, fair and credible, with the main bone of contention being the rigging of the voters roll.

Zimbabwe’s last elections have given credence to the suspicion that President Robert Mugabe may never willingly give up power. But an American journalist has suggested that Mugabe can still be enticed to step up away from power in 2018 by offering him an honorable exit now.

Zimbabwe just had general presidential and parliamentary elections in which the ruling party simply swept the votes contrary to the expectations of many.

A Kenyan visiting Zimbabwe for up to 90 days does not require a visa. I confirmed this from the country’s Nairobi embassy website. However, just to be double sure ahead of my trip, I made additional inquiries from several people in the know, including Zimbabweans.

Needless to say, a huge victory such as one claimed by ZANU/PF last week, should have seen the streets of Harare and other metropolises bursting with excitement by ZANU zealots. This has not been the case to date. What accounts for the ‘muted joy’?

Nearly a decade after embarking on a controversial land reform programme, Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, is now suffering acute food shortages.

In 2008, Alice Kasirori* was raped by four men during the violent run-off in the presidential elections. Rape was the price she paid for her husband's political activism and resulted in the pregnancy of her third child.

Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa), the southern African country's electricity utility company, is owed over $700 million, with domestic users accounting for nearly $261 million of the debt.

24 July 2013

The Chairperson Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)
Justice Rita Makarau Mahachi
Quantum Building 1
Nelson Mandela Avenue
Harare

Dear Ms. Makarau

Ref: Complaint on “Hate Speech” targeting the Zimbabwe gay community

As the global economic, financial and political balance of power shifts from the West to the East, it is becoming increasingly evident that we are living through the tail end of half a millennium of Western supremacy.